Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 71: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

« a ar ea The Secret of Caprice glanced up with a sparkle in her eyes—‘“‘we must go high, much higher than we have been today. You plan for us to walk to the camp from here?” “Yes,” he said. “I think it wisest for them to believe you came down the shore by yourself in your boat and walked across the point of land between the sea and the cove. I shall hide where I hid the night I followed you. It is almost among the tents so that I shall be able to see and hear every- thing and you can be assured that not one of them shall lay an unfriendly hand on you.” ‘“‘Then you want me to act as though I had come of my own volition—alone and unprepared to make any resistance if they should prove unfriendly?” “T think it best. It may give you an un- pleasant few minutes, but it is the only way to find out exactly what has been going on here and where they stand.” - “And do you expect to find Mr. Conway here?” He considered thoughtfully before an- swering. “T do not believe we shall,” he said final- ly. “My only hope is that these men, being, so far as I can see, in league against us, may know where he is. I must trust to your diplomacy to find that out.” “Very well,” she said. Her voice was low and without a tremor, with a note that showed that she had steeled herself to meet any crisis that might be forced upon her. “Let us start.” They walked side by side in silence down the smooth beach. Suddenly she looked up at him, her cheeks flushing. “Do you know,” she said, “I think a friendship like yours for Mr. Conway i is so wonderf He flushed in turn at the unconcealed ad- miration in her tone. “Do your” he asked. “Why?” “It is so absolute, so unquestioning, so self-sacrificing. You ‘have not even stopped to consider the possibilities of the position you are placing yourself in.” He laughed easily. “Am I in such danger, then?” he de- manded. “Tf I were—what you practically accused me of being—”’ she hesitated over her words —‘you would be in _very grave danger. Suppose I shoud be in league with these men. Don’t you see how easy it would be ‘sociates,”’ 69 know that I was not alone, that there was some one concealed behind a bush or a tree or wherever it is you intend to hide your- self? And don’t you see how easily they could surprise you and capture you before you could really tell what had happened?” He looked at her with eyes that danced with amusement, but that shone also with the most absolute confidence in her. “‘Thank you for warning me,” he mocked. “You have put me on my guard. [I shall look for your signals.” “No, but, seriously,”’ she protested. is really very fine of you. ‘ ‘Tt I wonder if for me to give a silent signal to let them Philip Conway knows the value of your friendship.” _ “Oh, Phil is all right,” he said. “Yes: but he probably takes it_all for granted as though it were no more than what is due him. I wish—” her voice be- came wistful—“T wish that my life had brought me such a friendship. I have never had any, except father’s, and, of course, that is not quite the same.” “Oh, you never can tell,” he laughed. “You do not know how many of your friends would rush to your assistance if they knew that you needed them.” But she shook her head sadly. “‘They are all fair-weather friends,” she declared. ‘‘And to think that, in the one crisis in my life, when I need help the most, I should have to look for it to a man who counts me as one of his enemies——”’ “Stop!” he cried. “I lost my head, that was all. But you yourself admit that there was some justification.” 7 She nodded prettily. “T have been convicted through my as- she said. “But we are going to make it all come out right in the end, aren’t we? And everything will be explained.” “Yes,” he said, a trifle grimly, “even the telephone trick.” She stopped short and stared at him. A slow flush mounted to her cheeks. “The—the telephone trick?” she faltered. “Ves,” he said. ‘“The telephone trick— in your alcove. When there wasn't any oe there, you remember.”’ “Qh!’”? she cried in sudden shame, and again, “Oh!” The flush deepened and all of her self-confident poise deserted her. “Oh, you knew that, too?” she exclaimed, almost breathless with the horror of her dis- covery. “You knew that—all the time. (EM [ANielovexe) Ss Eon